Wigglesworth has conducted just two ENO productions in the last 10 years - Katya Kabanova (2010) and Parsifal (2011) - but presumably the ENO board feel that's enough to base a decision on. And it's not as if there are dozens of qualified candidates out there willing to take on ENO's artistic and funding issues. We shall see.

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I suppose Gardner grew tired of the dire productions and one-third empty houses. Richard Morrison makes a similar point in the Times.

It says something about ENO currently that someone is willing to surrender the Music Director's post ostensibly to take up the baton at a middling European orchestra.

Gardner did improve ENO's music standards after the clear failure of Paul Daniel. The orchestra and chorus were often back to the quality I remember from Mark Elder's time at ENO and Gardner was seen as Elder's protégé.

As for Wigglesworth, his conducting of Katya and Parsifal was outstanding but he does have a reputation for being less than easy-going. He spent barely a year in Brussels and is unlikely to be enthusiastic about Berry's commitment to dated, agitprop and unpopular productions.

We can only hope that ENO's productions now generally improve. Alternatively, ENO might be about to enter an era of artistic warfare to add to its obviously poor management, especially in programming, finance and marketing.

That John Berry still has a job in St Martin's Lane is a mystery of the modern age...at least they gave Sean Doran the push before he could fuck over the company - no such luck with Berry, who seems hell bent on bringing this once-proud organisation to its knees, if not demise. Tragic and scandalous!

On another note, I read that Gardner is back in 2016 as a guest - presumably for the Alden/Skelton 'Otello'? One presumes that Wiggy-woo will want the new Jones/Skelton 'Tristan and Isolde' for himself??

And lastly, didn't Wiggy-woo ditch Irene Theorin as Kundry because her English wasn't up to scratch, replacing her with the underwhelming, overparted Jane Dutton? Or did we never get to the bottom of that?

Gardner is a fine conductor: but the best of him is clearly still to come, and will in all probability be in the symphonic rep. rather than operatic (his last few BBC SO concerts have all variously been first-rate musical "events").

Wigglesworth is actually a great conductor, and probably now at the peak of his powers. Alas, he doesn't suffer fools gladly (or even at all) and will inevitably run into at least one rather big one the minute he sets foot in St. Martin's Lane. From Principal to P45 could be the usual short step for him.

There seems to be a pattern at ENO of a great conductor being followed by someone who really didn't last very long. So, we had Charles Mackerras followed by Charles Groves; Mark Elder followed by Sean Edwards; Paul Daniel (who held the post during some really difficult times for the company and who kept things together during a very difficult time for the company; sorry Susan, I was at some really good performances conducted by Paul Daniel and I don't agree with your assessment of him) followed by Oleg Caetani (who got sacked before he arrived!); Ed Gardner now followed by Mark Wigglesworth - who I sincerely hope does break the trend! Wigglesworth is a great conductor, and I've seen him conduct some great performances,so although I'm sorry to see Ed Gardner leave, I'm very pleased at what I think is a good appointment.

So, he has a reputation for not suffering fools gladly - maybe that's what's needed at ENO!

Do think this is yet another John Berry botched hiring and they meant to hire the young and much on the rise Ryan Wigglesworth? Dont see what Mark W has to offer at any level and I was told by an orchestra adminstrator that his orchestra found Mark W's performances a 'white knuckle ride' and not in a good way......

Apparently the younger Wigglesworth was in the frame, but finally his relatively limited opera repertoire - the Carmen wasn't very promising - and his desire to devote more time to composing proved decisive. Odd that two candidates for the same job should both be called Wigglesworth and are apparently not related. It's not exactly a common name.

I'm not judging him by his Carmen - he's done brilliant work in Knussen and Glanert, but a man with a handful of repertory pieces behind him is hardly the right man for a the music director of ENO. Even Sian Edwards had done more operas when she was appointed. And how long did that last. That said the other Wigglesworth has plenty of rep fans which he will probably need to fill fast.